Joint Circular No. 03/2000/TTLT-BVCSTE-VHTT-TUDTN guiding the implementation of Directive No. 03/2000/CT-TTg dated January 24, 2000 of the Prime Minister on enhancing cultural activities and entertainment for children.

JOINT CIRCULAR

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PRIME MINISTER'S DIRECTIVE NO. 03/2000/CT-TTg ON PROMOTING CHILDREN'S CULTURAL, RECREATIONAL, AND ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES ON JANUARY 24, 2000.

In order to effectively implement Directive No. 03/2000/CT-TTg dated January 24, 2000 of the Prime Minister on promoting cultural, recreational, and entertainment activities for children, the Children Protection and Care Commission of Vietnam, the Culture-Media Department, and the Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh have agreed on a plan to implement with the following requirements and contents:

1. Propaganda and educational activities.

1.1. At the central level:

- The Children Protection and Care Commission of Vietnam, the Culture-Media Department, and the Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh will cooperate with the Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam Radio, and other mass media agencies to open special sections to popularize various forms of recreation and entertainment, guide beneficial games and toys for children's healthy development; organize propaganda on exemplary models in child protection, care, and education; criticize literary works, comic books, toys, games, and forms of recreation that negatively impact children. Do not disseminate harmful information about children through advertising, cultural arts, and sports activities on mass media.

- The Culture-Media Department, the Children Protection and Care Commission of Vietnam, and the Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh will coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to direct localities to organize storytelling contests, drawing competitions, artistic performances, toy-making contests, game-making contests, literary and artistic creation contests, exhibitions, library activities for children; support awards for events such as the Phu Dong Healthy Youth Festival, Uncle Ho's Good Child Congress; propaganda contests for young pioneers, training programs for Young Pioneer members, family culture and sports festivals... Coordinate with the Sports Management Committee and related organizations to develop plans for mass sports movements alongside talent development, providing a foundation for children to improve their physical health; effectively implement Decree No. 73/1999/NĐ-CP of the Government.

- The Culture-Media Department will cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Sports Management Committee, and the Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh to incorporate cultural, artistic, sports, sightseeing, tourism, summer camp activities into the general education system; develop civility education programs and build cultural families, emphasizing patriotism education, cultural traditions, awareness of protecting national cultural heritage, and legal consciousness, thereby contributing to comprehensive education for children. Introduce world cultural excellence suitable for each age group of children.

1.2. At the local level:

Based on the central guidance, the Children Protection and Care Commissions of provinces and centrally-administered cities, Provincial Culture-Media Departments, and Provincial Youth Unions of Ho Chi Minh will collaborate to develop specific plans to assist schools, communes, wards, and residential areas in organizing regular activities, especially during the month of action for children, summer activities, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the new school year, to promote and educate about cultural, recreational, and entertainment activities; organize contests and festivals for children.

2. Building cultural and recreational facilities for children.

2.1. At the central level:

- Based on the planning for cultural and recreational zones in provinces and cities, the Culture-Media Department will cooperate with the Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh and related sectors to develop a proposal for the overall planning of cultural and recreational facilities for children to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval; effectively implement the policy of socializing spiritual cultural and recreational activities for children. Direct the construction of playgrounds at the grassroots level for children, integrated with the content of building civilized villages, streets, and families, and other mass movements such as: "Adults as role models, children as diligent students," "Grandparents and parents as role models, grandchildren as filial." Grandchild-Grandparent Club, "Thousand Good Deeds" Movement, "All People United to Build a Civilized Life" Movement, "For Beloved Children" Campaign; plan to mobilize domestic and foreign capital to invest in building children's cultural centers and large-scale recreational areas.

- The Culture-Media Department will cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to develop investment plans for renovating, upgrading, and constructing new cultural information facilities for children (libraries, reading rooms, theaters, cinemas, playgrounds...). At the same time, direct the system of facilities within the sector (libraries, cultural houses, cinemas, information exhibition centers, museums...) to allocate 20%-25% of operating time for children.

The Central Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh will cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to focus investments on areas without children's houses and those that are deteriorating; prioritize highlands, deep regions, and particularly difficult areas; coordinate with the Government's Organization and Cadre Management Board to formulate and issue regulations on the operation of children's houses.

2.2. At the local level:

The Child Protection and Care Committee, the Department of Culture and Information, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at provincial and municipal levels shall advise the People's Committees to direct the planning and development of cultural zones, entertainment areas, sports facilities, Children's Houses, children's clubs, exhibition houses, and libraries for children within residential areas and schools. Support policies shall be implemented for disadvantaged regions; the preferential land use policies for these facilities shall be carried out; coordination with the Fatherland Front and its members shall promote the "All-Voluntary Movement for Cultural Life" campaign, linked to the diversification of cultural and recreational activities for children; plans shall be developed to mobilize all resources for the construction or upgrading of cultural, recreational, and sports facilities for children; projects aimed at achieving the goals of the National Action Program for Children shall be established and implemented.

3. Development of cultural and artistic products for children.

3.1. Central level:

- Annually, the Ministry of Culture and Information shall develop a budget plan for investment in creation, publication, development of reading rooms and children's libraries, production and distribution of various types of books, newspapers, films, music, art, and stage performances such as dance, singing, drama, circus, etc., suitable for children, ensuring a minimum ratio of 15% compared to the total number of cultural products produced and published annually; coordinate with the Sports Management Committee to organize the production of sports equipment and aesthetic education tools for children (as stipulated in Article 14 of Decree No. 347/HĐBT dated November 14, 1991 of the Council of Ministers [now the Government]). Develop programs for the development of intellectual and spiritually healthy recreational games.

- The Ministry of Culture and Information shall cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Trade to establish a specific list of harmful toys that affect children's character education and health, to be included in the list of prohibited goods, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for decision and regularly revised and supplemented to suit current circumstances (in accordance with Decree No. 11/1999/NĐ-CP dated March 3, 1999 of the Government).

3.2. Local level:

The Department of Culture and Information shall direct local functional units to include in their regular plans the organization of creative works suitable for children's age groups, organizing performances for children; maintain the operation of mobile film screening teams serving children, especially during the month of action for children, International Children's Day, the founding day of the Youth League, Mid-Autumn Festival, prioritizing children in remote, difficult areas; coordinate with relevant sectors, political-social organizations, social organizations, local press agencies to organize the creation, publication, and distribution of books and newspapers for children.

4. Cultural policies and training of cadres.

- The Vietnam Child Protection and Care Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union shall collaborate with related sectors to formulate policies for grassroots child care officers; policies for artists creating literary and artistic works for children; policies encouraging children's participation in cultural and artistic activities; preferential policies for performance activities and services for children's tours and travel; policies for the preservation and development of traditional games, toys, and cultural products of ethnic minorities; investment policies for the development of cultural and recreational facilities for children in 1,870 poor and particularly difficult communes; participate with the Ministry of Industry in developing projects on effective toy manufacturing bases to stimulate development and lay the foundation for the formation of a Vietnamese toy industry; propose tax incentives for toy manufacturing facilities and cultural, artistic, and recreational services for children; propose policies to attract domestic and foreign investment in cultural, recreational, and entertainment activities for children.

- The Ministry of Culture and Information shall plan the development of cultural and information materials and activities suitable for children in different regions and organize training and seminars for grassroots cultural workers, particularly those responsible for recreational sites; coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to guide and organize the development of curricula, lesson plans, and training of teachers in aesthetics for children.

- The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union shall collaborate with relevant sectors to train staff responsible for youth teams and children's house managers in school systems and community areas.

5. Inspection and supervision.

- Every six months and annually, the Vietnam Child Protection and Care Committee shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to organize inspection and supervision teams to evaluate the implementation of Directive No. 03/2000/CT-TTg in various sectors and levels.

- The Ministry of Culture and Information shall take the lead in coordinating with relevant sectors to direct and guide localities to conduct inspections and rectify cultural service and cultural product business activities nationwide; simultaneously identify, crack down on, prevent, and eliminate social evils in this field (in accordance with the spirit of Directive No. 09/2000/CT-TTg dated April 20, 2000 of the Prime Minister). On this basis, annual plans for regular inspections of cultural service and cultural product business activities shall be developed.

- At the local level, integrate with the regular inter-sectoral inspection contents of the Vietnam Child Protection and Care Committee, the Department of Culture and Information, and the Provincial Youth League to jointly build inspection contents for the implementation of Directive No. 03/2000/CT-TTg and report results to the Vietnam Child Protection and Care Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

- Request relevant ministries and sectors to report on the implementation of Directive No. 03/2000/CT-TTg regarding the Vietnam National Committee for Children's Protection and Care, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Central Committee on December 15th of each year to timely compile and report to the Prime Minister.

Require the Vietnam National Committee for Children's Protection and Care, the Department of Culture and Information, provincial youth unions under the guidance of the Provincial Party Committees, People's Committees of provinces and cities, to coordinate with related sectors to effectively implement the above contents and report the results periodically every six months and annually to the Vietnam National Committee for Children's Protection and Care, the Ministry of Culture and Information, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Central Committee.